Toothbrush



Nov. 28, 1967 K. F. SCHLEGEL, JR 3,354,491

TOOTHBRUSH Filed March 21, 1966 FIG. 5

INVENTOR. KARL F. SCHLEGEL, JR.

WWW

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,354,491 TOOTHBRUSH Karl F. Schlegel, Jr., Penfield, N.Y., asslgnor to Kay-El Sales Corporation, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 536,056 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-167) This invention relates to a new and novel brush and specifically disposable toothbrushes, including pressure sensitive adhesive backing for securing the toothbrush to the finger of the user.

A wide variety of disposable toothbrushes have been long known, as for example as shown and described in the following United States Patents: Hobelmann, 2,419,- 896, Apr. 29, 1947; Lyons, 2,763,885, Sept. 25, 1956; Vaughan, 2,915,767, Dec. 8, 1959; Holton, 2,921,590, I an. 19, 1960. These are only by way of example of the variety of this type of toothbrush. However, this invention provides a substantial improvement over any prior known disposable toothbrushes at a greatly reduced cost from prior known constructions.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide an improved toothbrush construction, including a strip of woven fabric and bristles woven into the fabric defining a brush on one surface thereof.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a toothbrush of the last described object and including pressure sensitive adhesive covering on at least a portion of one surface of the fabric and adapted to overlie and adhere to a cooperative portion of the other surface of the fabric.

It is a significant object of this invention to provide an improved toothbrush bristle construction which would be suitable in any brush but particularly suited to toothbrushes, which improvement comprises a hook formed at the terminal end of the bristle. This construction has substantial functional advantages over the prior known constructions because the tiny hooks formed on the terminal ends of the bristles are more effective to abrasively clean the surface of the enamel of the teeth.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be particularly set forth in the claims and will be apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial top planar view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial top planar view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIG. 5 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

With reference to the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 inclusive, there is shown a flexible strip of woven fabric 10 comprised of any suitable material such as cotton and/or nylon woven according to any selected suitable pattern of woof and warp. In the illustrated pattern of FIG. 2, the Woof threads 12, 13 and 14 cross between the warp threads 16 and 17, and for illustrative purposes only, are shown as spaced apart; whereas, in actual practice they are very tightly woven. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, pairs of nylon or other suitable bristles 18, of any suitable diameter well-known in the art, are formed in a U configuration around threads (for example 13) of the fabric and are supported in the woven fabric. Due to the exaggerated spacing between the woof Patented Nov. 28, 1967 and warp threads shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bristles 18 do not appear to be supported by the fabric, but actually the bristles are rigidly woven into the fabric 10 by means of a close, tight weave of the threads, thereby securely maintaining the bristles 18 in the woven fabric 10 and m a substantially vertically aligned position by the tight, close weaving.

The bristles 18 are first formed into loops (not shown) in the same manner as loop pile carpeting is manufactured. The loops are then cut transversely to form bristles. The cutting operation is performed by a rotating blade (not shown). The friction of the blade cutting the nylon (heat deformable) is sufficient to form a projection or hook 20 on the terminal end of each bristle. I have discovered this improved bristle construction provides increased cleaning action on the teeth. This feature has application to any type of brush bristle but particularly toothbrush bristles.

There is applied to the lower surface of the woven fabric 10 a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive 22; such compositions are well-known and described, for example, in US. Patents Nos. 2,156,380, 2,164,360, 2,203,677 and 2,285,458. Adhesive 22 fills any void areas in the lower surface of the fabric which may exist. Although the bristles 18 are very adequately supported by the tight weave of the fabric, the adhesive assists in this function by forming a matrix for the back of the fabric and bristles. The adhesive is protected by a removable cover strip 24 of any suitable material such as a non-fibrous plastic, the use of which is to maintain the pressure sensitive layer 22 in suitable tacky condition for use. It will be understood that the adhesive 22 may be applied to any selected portions of either surface of the fabric 10 in such a manner, that upon wrapping it around the finger of the user, the opposite ends are adapted to overlie themselves and upon removal of the cover strip 24, the adhesive portion will adhere to a corresponding portion of the opposite surface of the woven fabric. In the FIGS. 1-3 embodiment, the adhesive is preferably applied to the entire lower surface of the fabric 10.

In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 4-6 corresponding parts of the first embodiment have been designated with the same numerals followed by the suffix A. In this embodiment, the woven fabric 10A is cut so that it is only large enough to retain the bristles 18A. Obviously, when the woof and warp threads are cut so close to the bristles, it is necessary to provide some means of holding the fabric together and substantially rigidly support the bristles in their upright position. Adhesive 25 serves this function. Any suitable adhesive or other suitable preferably solidifying material may be used to form a substantially rigid backing for the fabric to bond the fabric to the upper surface of a strip 26 of non-fibrous plastic, i.e., polyethylene or polypropylene film or the like which is adapted to surround the finger of the user. A coating of pressuresensitive adhesive is applied intermediate the lower surface of the strip 26 and a transverse tab 38 at the righthand end thereof. The tab 38 is suitable for maintaining the tacky condition of the pressure sensitive adhesive prior to use. Tab 38 is stripped immediately prior to use thereby to provide an adhesive surface which will, upon wrapping around the finger of the user, bond to the upper surface of the opposite or left end of the strip 26.

In FIG. 6 it will be noticed that the configuration of the bristle 18A defines a substantially W configuration, as contrasted to the substantially U configuration of the bristle 18 of FIG. 3. It will be understood that this merely illustrates the second embodiment of the way in which the bristle may be woven integral with the fabric.

While I have shown and described the preferred form of mechanism of my invention, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made therein particularly in the form and relation of parts, without de- 3, parting from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A-toothbrush comprising a flexible strip of woven.

on one surface; said fabric strip being adapt ed to wrap' around a finger of a user, pressure sensitive adhesive directly on-at least a portion of one surface ofsaid fabric and in a manner suitable for adhesi-vely securing-said strip directly to a finger; of the user of such a brush.

3. A tdotlibrusli in accordance with claim 2 in which said adhesive also forms 3 1111111111 covering at least a pornon of the surface ofsaid fabric; opposite the terminal ends ofsaid br'is'tles', thereby to hold said bristles more firmly in the fabric.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Wheeler 15-198 Pyle.

Baurn'g'artrie'r.

Mestral. Ly'oris IS -227 X Vaughan- 15167 Wass'erman 15167 Munt 1515 9.1 MacDonald 1S227 X Miciche.

Switzerland.

CHARLES A. Primary Examiner.

20 PETER FELDMAN, Assismm Examiner. 

1. A TOOTHBRUSH COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE STRIP OF WOVEN FABRIC AND BRISTLES WOVEN INTO SAID FABRIC DEFINING A BRUSH ON ONE SURFACE INCLUDING PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE DIRECTLY ON AT LEAST A PORTION OF ONE SURFACE OF SAID FABRIC AND ADAPTED TO OVERLIE AND ADHERE TO A CORRESPONDING PORTION OF THE OTHER SURFACE OF SAID FABRIC. 